


New Voices

by onereyofstarlight



Series: FAB Five Feb [6]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:53:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24138415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onereyofstarlight/pseuds/onereyofstarlight
Summary: The Tracy family has expanded, and Virgil goes for a visit.
Relationships: Captain Ridley O'Bannon/John Tracy
Series: FAB Five Feb [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663633
Kudos: 19





	New Voices

The stark white walls and smell of antiseptic and soap were not altogether unfamiliar to Virgil as he walked through the corridors. Scott had already given him hell for refusing to sleep following the rescue mission he’d arrived from, opting instead for a shower and immediate departure. Easy for Scott to say, his brother had already flown out to visit John, and Virgil knew where he needed to be.

His feet were dragging and his eyes were snatching at sleep every time he blinked, so it wasn’t overly surprising when he accidentally careened into the wall, bouncing off into a sprawled form that groaned quietly on the floor.

A tongue clicked above him and he opened his eyes to see a matronly looking nurse, smiling kindly down at him.

“First time is it, love?” she asked him, helping him to his feet.

“Well, no,” he said, thinking back to all the time his family had spent here, bedridden and worried and healing.

She shook her head and clucked.

“It never changes, does it? Never gets easier.”

“Some times are worse than others, right?”

“Oh, undoubtedly. Do you know where you’re headed by any chance?”

“I’m looking for John Tracy?”

“Och, a visitor!” she said with a smile. “I mistook you for one of the parents. John Tracy, you said?”

“Yes, my brother.”

“He’s a popular one today,” she said, looking amused. “Which one are you, then?”

“Virgil.”

“Ah, he was wondering where you were, you know.”

She nodded down the corridor.

“Room 512,” she said. “Take the second left and you’ll find him in the door on the right.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

She beamed at him as he turned away, his walk a little slower and stiffer than it had been earlier. He hoped John wouldn’t notice.

The directions he had been given matched those Gordon had painstakingly drawn on a crude map for him, sent to his communicator the second they had known the room, but still he stopped and checked his bearings as he drew near.

A soft, low hum floated from the room, a sound Virgil had never heard before yet its timbre unmistakable to his practiced ear.

John was singing.

Virgil stood outside the door listening, a faint smile on his face. All those years of John brushing him off when he asked him to join his performances meant nothing if he could hear his brother’s voice now, soft and content and happy.

Rather than interrupt with a knock, Virgil pushed the door open. His heart swelled as he spotted John curled up in the seat beside Ridley, his feet propped up on her bed. In his arms he held a tiny baby girl who stared sleepily up at him. Gently, he stroked her cheek, a soft caress that prompted a tiny yawn.

Ridley’s eyes flicked up as she spotted Virgil’s entrance and she smiled invitingly at him.

“Come in,” she whispered and John jerked his head upwards, curling his body instinctively around his new daughter, his voice breaking off with a discordant gasp.

“Oh, Virgil,” he said, turning back to settle the now whimpering newborn. “I thought we wouldn’t get to see you until tomorrow.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” he said softly, sliding into the chair next to him and peeking over his shoulder. “Since when do you sing?”

John’s lips twitched but he didn’t respond, too absorbed in his daughter’s eyes that were staring solemnly into his.

“Since about ten hours ago,” said Ridley for him. “It helps keep her calm.”

Virgil teared his gaze away from the baby and looked up at Ridley.

“And how’s Mom doing?”

“Tired, sore,” she said frankly. “Ready to go home.” Her eyes softened as they made their way downwards again. “She’s worth it all though.”

The three sat in silence, staring in awe at the tiny creation that John and Ridley had made.

“Would you like to hold her?” asked John suddenly, looking up at his brother.

“Me?”

“Who else? Only don’t tell Gordon and Alan.”

“Didn’t trust them?”

“She’d just gone to sleep,” said John defensively.

Virgil chuckled.

“I’d love to,” he said sincerely, holding out his arms.

John shuffled her weight awkwardly, still new to the gesture, and gently arranged her in Virgil’s arms.

She was light in his arms, reminding Virgil vividly of how tiny, how small, how _dependent_ she really was.

She was heavy too, the weight of her presence, the promise of the life ahead of her literally in his hands.

He double checked his grip anxiously.

A thought struck him as he stuck his tongue out at her.

“What’s her name?”

Ridley huffed a laugh.

“You don’t know?” asked John with a frown. “Didn’t the others tell you?”

“I was a little busy,” said Virgil drily. “I know it’s been a few months since you’ve joined us, but International Rescue? Global heroes saving people from natural and man-made disasters as bequeathed by our father?”

John rolled his eyes and held his arms out in a silent demand.

“Evelyn Aurora,” he said softly, taking her back and stroking her fine hair back with a gentle hand.

“Evelyn for my sister,” said Ridley with a sad smile.

“And Aurora for EOS,” finished John.

“She was a little overexcited by that,” said Ridley, resting her head on John’s shoulder.

“I had to spend months encrypting my messages and search engine,” muttered John. “I felt like a teenager again, sneaking around in my own home.”

Virgil laughed, knowing full well that John had never snuck around, under, into, or out of their home as a teenager even once. Sneaking onto the roof had been considered fair game however, especially when the night air was warm and the skies clear.

“It was fun to see her reaction though,” said Ridley.

“Yeah, it was,” John said fondly. He continued to caress his daughter’s hair and Virgil thought he might never see his brother distracted again. He was fully absorbed, fully content in the simple act of love. A soft melody, hidden beneath a sigh, began to fill the room as John sang a lullaby to Evelyn. Her small chest was rising up and down in time with the murmured rhythm.

“Is she getting sleepy?” whispered Virgil, hardly daring to take his eyes off her. The small, steady breaths were prompting a yawn of his own, and his eyes watered as he held it back.

Ridley felt no need to hide her exhaustion, yawning loudly, and reluctantly Virgil took that as his cue to leave.

“Will we see you soon?” he whispered, not wanting to disturb the tired family.

John looked up at him, giving him a non-committal shrug.

“We might keep to ourselves for a few days,” he said, his eyes tracking back to Ridley as he spoke. When she nodded, he looked back up at Virgil.

“Keep in touch?”

“Always,” said Virgil. He stooped down in front of his brother and pressed a soft kiss on Evelyn’s forehead.

“I’ll see you soon, sweetie pie,” he whispered. “Your family loves you so very much.”

“Sweetie pie?”

“Don’t worry, we love you too, dearest Johnny.”

“I take it back, lose my number please.”

Virgil laughed from the door and waved at Ridley.

He stood outside the door for a few moments, listening for his brother’s voice as it floated out into the hallway.

Stood outside listening for a new voice, newly born.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FAB Five Feb challenge on tumblr by @Gumnut  
> Prompts used were "soft caress" and "Where?"  
> Cross posted from Tumblr, orginally posted on 05/03/2020
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


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